Displacement-float for fluid-measuring devices.



PQN. GONNBT.. DISPLAGEMBNT FLOAT FOR FLUID MEASURING DEVIGESA APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 21, 1907 1,068, 186, f Patented June B, 1913.

@Haltung 40 move only through a very small distance FREDERICK N. coivNEr, or PROVIDENCE, nHoDE IsLA1\ID.`

DISPLACEMET-AFLOAT FOB FLUID-MEASU RING DEVICES.-

Specification of Letters ItatentQ` Patented June'3, 1.913..

Application mea :rune 21, ico?. serial no. saoioae.

-To all 'whom t may concern Be it known that (I, FREDERICK N: CONNET, a citizen ofthe UnitedStates, residing at the city of Providence, in the county Aof Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in. Displacement-Floats for Fluid- Mea-suring Devices, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to theaccompanying drawing.

This invention relates to devices for measuring the flow of fluids passing through pipes, and especially'to those-devicesA that make use of 'floats for cont-rolling the means for showing the amount of flow. In devices of this character, it is'customary to' `employ mercury for operating the floats as it is desirable to have the liquid many times heavier than the fluid lto be measured. The 20 high cost ofmercury makes it desirable to so design the instrument that the amount of mercury used will 'be a minimum.

Instruments of this Icharacter which have heretofore-been used gggenrerally.y have two receptacles in one or both of which are floats resting upon the surfaces of the mercury and as 'the surfaces rise aand fall the floats also rise and fall, the depth of immersion of each float being constant.. The floats are usually directly attached by rods, cords, links, or racks to the dialsor other means for showing the Aamount .of flow of fluid to be measured, and as'these showing mechanisms frequently require considerable powerv for their operation the diameter of the floats land thereforeY the quantity of mercury required is'considerable. In my improved de- ,vice,lhowlever, the' float'or floats do not rise and fall the same distance as the movement of the mercury surface, but the float or floats suiiicient to release or set in motion a motor of some kind. AThis motor may be actuated motor varies theintensity of a vertical force or forces exerted upon the Afloat or floats until such force or forces balances the buoyant forces exerted by the mercury under the float or float-s. 4 1 y The lprincipal distinction between my present invention and those heretofore employed for this purpose is that iny the older instruments the distance traversed by the surface of the Amercury 'was the principal factor Whera in my present lVQIltOIrthe-upward force exerted against a body partially immersed is the principal factor. The old instruments were constructed to measure the distance. The new instrument is constructed Referring to the drawings, at 1 is the main supply pipe having a contracted portion 2,

the flow through said pipe being in the direct-ion -indicated by the arrow. The receptacles 3 and 4 are preferably held in a fixed position on the bracket 5 and communicate with each other through the pipe 6. Receptacle 3 is connected to the throat or reduced portion 2 by pipe 7, and receptacle 4 is connected with the main. pipe 8 on the upstream side of the throat through the pipe 9. Located within these receptacles are the floats 10 and 11 which nearly fill said receptacles and are connected to the scale beam' 12 through their respect-ive connecting rods 13 and 1-1 whereby any movement of said floats either up or down will impart a corresponding movement to said scale beam, which is pivoted at 15 in the hanger 16.. At one Jend of this beam is hung the weight 17 while at its opposite end is shown the counterbalance weight 18 which is adapted to bemoved longitudinally along said beam at a given ratio to the vertical movement ofsaid floats. p I

This weight may be controlledl inv its `mo`ve ment by a motor of any desired construction, but I'have illustrated the same as being controlled by a clock mechanism, the casing bf which is shown at 19, which clock is in turn controlled in its movement by the raising and falling of the scale beam 12 which 0perates the escapement 20V through the connecting rod 21 whereby the clock is operated 'to wind up or unwind the cord 22 which is connected to the upper end of said counterweight, thereby winding the same vup on a drum (not shown), drawingsaid weight to the left or unwinding the same so th-at it may be returned by means ofthe weight 23,`wh ich is connected to theopposite side thereof through the'cord 24. aAt the lower-end offv which sheet is mounted on a suitable cylinder and rotated by the clock, not shown,

' mounted in the casing 27, whereby the rate of flow through the main pipe may be continually recorded. -A scale Q8 is also placed above the :beam whereby the position of the pointer 29 on the said scalc will indicate the i. rate of flow, or any other suitable means controlled by the intensity of said counterbalancing pressures may b'e 4employed for showing the flow through said main pipe.

' The operation of the device may be more f u'lly described as follows: The receptacles 3 and 4l jointly hold between them a quantity of mercury or other liquid, of greater specific gravity than the fluid to be. measured. lVhen lthere no flow through the main all of this'heavy liquid naturally stands in the lower receptacle 4. Then the How through the main pipe .taires place the pressure at the throat Qwis reduced with reference to thatv at the point 8, therefore an amount of mercury in proportion to this differential .pressure is forced from cylinder 4: to cylinder 3 and the floats in said cylinders fall and risev respectively. The action or buoyancy of .each depends upon the depth to which the floats are limmersed in the heavy liquid, and the depth to which each one is immersed depends upon the difference between the pressures ,at .the two points in the main pipe. As this change takes place the upward movement Aof the floatI 10 and a corresponding moyemen'tof the other float inl the opposite direction naturally raises theA right end of the scale bea-m and causes the mechanism above described to move the counterweight a proportional distance to counterbalancefthe same, and when the flow in the main is decreased a reverse action of the mechanism takes place,

It willb e seen that. if. one of the floats is detachedv from the scale beam the instrument will worlr precisely as before except that the force exerted on the scalebeam willbe only one-half as greatas withv two floats and therefore if one Heat is usedk its diameter would' have to be greater than if two ioats were used. The only advantage in using two fioats is to make 'the utmost possible use of every pound of mercury,

My device is extremely .simple in construetionand by its use the desired effect is produced, and at the same time a large percentage of the expensive mercury heretofore required for the operation o f measuring devices of this character is saved.`

My inventioii'is not restricted to the construction .and arrangement ,of the parte herein Shown and deseribed nor fo iheverif one detailsthereof, as any displacement floats operated by-a liquid of greater speeie gravity than the' Huid to be measured' and which depend for their action upon the depth atV which they are immersed, will fall within the spirit and scope of my invention, one practical embodiment of which' has been herein illustrated and described without attempting' to show. all ofthe various forms and modifications in which my invention might be embodied.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is: l. In a liquid measuring` device, a main pipe, means in said pipe for producing a differential of pressure therein, two receptacles provided with means for establishing' communication between them, and containing between them a liquid of greater specific gravity than the fluid to be measured, means for establishing; communication, between the respective receptacles and saidpipon opposite sides of the means for,l ri'ducing dif'- Aferential of pressure, a floathneach receptacle, the volume of each floatbeing nearly equal to the volume of its respective receptacle, a pivoted beam, connections between said floats and' beam, a recording mechanism, and means controlled bythe movement of said beam to operate said recording mechanism.

2. In a liquid measuringdevice, aaiiainv pipe, means in said pipe-for producing a differential of pressure therein, two Vreceptacles provided'with means foi-., establishing communication between themmand cont-aining between them a liquid offfgreater specific 3. In a liquid measuring device, a main pipe, means in said lpipe for producing a differential of pressure therein, two receptacles providedwith means for'establishing communication between them, and conta-ining between them a fluid 0f greater specific gravity than the Huid t-o be measured, means `for establishing communication between the respective receptacles and on opposite sides of the means for producing differential of pressure, a fioat in each receptacle, the Volume of each float being nearly equal to the volume of its respective receptacle, a pivoted beam free to move .independently of said receptacles, connections between sai Heats and beam, e recording mechanism, and

means controlled by the movement of said.

noname beanrfor operatingI said rewarding mechamsm.

et. In a liquid measuring; device, a pipe, means in" said pipe tor produringa diierential of pressure therein, two recep vtacles provided with means for establishing comnuinication between them and containing,- between them a fluid of' ,rn-eater specific `gravity than the fluid to be measured, means for establishing' communication between the respective receptacles and said pipe, and ou opposite sides of the means for producingl differential of pressure, wherebyY the relative amounts of fluid in said receptacles are varied in accordance with the differential pressures in said pipe, a float in each receptacle, the volume of each float being` nearl \T equal to the volume of its respective receptacle, a pivoted beam free to more independently of said receptacles, connectitms between said floats and bea-m, a recording` device mounted on said beam, andaneans operated by said beam `for controlling said recording; device. 5. In a fluid Ineasurimg` device, a main pipe, two receptacles, means for establishing communication between said receptacles,

said receptacles containingl between them av liquid of greater specific gravity than the fiuid to be measured, means for connecting said receptacles with said pipe. a float in one of said receptacles, said float being of a volume nearly equal to the volume of the receptacle in which it is located, means sup` ported iudep'endentl.)1 of said float 'tar counterbalancing the pressure exerted by and upon said float, and an exhibitor actuated by said counterbalancing` means.

6. In a fluid measuring device a. main pipe, two communicating receptacles provided with means for establishing' communication between them. and containing between them a liquid of greater' specific gravity than the fluid to be measured, means for connecting` said receptacles ,with said pipe, a body in each receptacle, the volume of each of said bodies being` nearly equal to the volume of its respective receptacle, and means for counterbalancing the differences main in the pressures exerted by and upon said bodies, and an exhibitor actuated by said counterbalancing means.

7. In a duid measuring,- device, a main pipe conveying; the fluid to be measured, means for creating a difference of pressures at two points in said pipe, two receptacles provided with means in their upper portions for communicating with the two pressure points in said pipe, means for establishingr communication between the lower portions of said receptacles, a fioat in each receptacle almost filling' the latter, a liquid heavier than the fluid to be measured partially llf ing said receptacles and exerting upward pressures against said floats corresponding with the pressures in said pipe, means for exertingV a downward counterbalancing pressure upon said floats, and means controlled by the intensity of said counter balancing pressures for showing the flow through said pipe.

8. in a fluid measuring device, a main pipe conveying the fluid to be measured, means for creating a difference ofpressures at two points in said pipe, two receptacles provided with means at their upper portions for communicating with the two pressure points in said pipe, means for establishing communication between the lower portions of said receptacles, a iioat in one of said receptacles almost fillingthe latter, a liquid heavier than the fluid to be measured partially filling` said receptacles and exert.- ing a pressure upwardly against said float dependent upon the How through said pipe, means for exerting a downward counter- -balancing pressure upon said float, and

means controlled by the intensity of said counterbalancing pressure for showing the flow through said pipe.

In testimny. whereof affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

rnnnnuicit N. courtier.

Witnesses lVM. l. TiLLINenis'r, E. I. OGDEN. 

